One way that we work on taking care of ourselves at the Center for Family Wellness is to regularly reflect on what’s happening around, within, and between us. This is especially pertinent as this year comes to a close and we look forward to that of a new beginning in 2021. Self-reflection is a beautiful ritual for self-love and personal growth. By allowing yourself to give the previous year some honest reflection, you open yourself up for being intentional in the coming days and months ahead. Reflecting encourages you to explore how you made meaning out of the big situations presented in the last 12 months and to applaud yourself for things you accomplished. Intentional reflection also allows for you to get clear on how you’d like to show up in the upcoming year; whether that be in your career, in your relationships, or for yourself.
I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a year for the books! We believe everyone deserves to give themselves the time and space to reflect. In this case, we’re reflecting specifically on 2020 and everything that’s happened over the last 365 days. What a more straight forward way to do this than with journal prompts! For those of you who may not be familiar with journal prompts, we use them as a tool in therapy to have clients purposefully explore and process their thoughts and feelings outside of session. Typically we ask clients to bring back to session any journaling that seems relevant to what they’d like to work on in session. For the sake of this practice, we will provide some journal prompts for you below and you can work with them on your own.
Get comfy, cozy, and grab a coffee (or another cold weather drink) while we dive into some thought provoking questions about the infamous year of two-thousand-twenty! We’ve come up with 20 prompts to reflect on the past year, and we encourage you to write them in your journal, or in the note app on your phone, and leave yourself enough space to jot down your answers.
-What did 2020 teach me about myself?
-What have I learned about others in my life?
-What single event brought me great joy?
-What single event brought me great distress?
-What did I accomplish or complete in 2020?
-What practices supported my physical wellbeing in 2020?
-What practices support my mental wellbeing in 2020?
-What practices do I want to replace to improve my wellbeing next year?
-How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact my life?
-Who have I been missing or felt disconnected from, and how can I reconnect with them?
-How have I shown up in my relationships in the past year?
-Who nurtured and supported me?
-Who did I nurture and support?
-What relationships (romantic, family, and friendships) do I need to need to let go of to be healthier and happier?
-How do I want to show up in my relationships in the upcoming year?
-What do I want to leave in 2020?
-What do I want to carry forward into the new year?
-What are my hopes for the next three months? Six months? Year?
-What are some of my fears, worries, and concerns I want to acknowledge?
-What’s one thing I can commit to doing daily that will improve my life?
As you work through some or all of these questions, notice the emotions that come up. Do you notice more sadness, anger, happiness, excitement, worry, or a combination of all the above? Where do you feel them in your body? You may notice sensations in places such as your head, shoulders, or stomach. Practice scanning your body from head to toe for these sensations and just notice them. Acknowledge the emotion(s) and shift your focus to the messages they may be sending you.
We hope that these prompts and your continued practice with reflection help guide you into the new year. May you be safe, loved, and supported this holiday season and beyond.
See you in 2021!
The Center for Family Wellness